“Photography has shaped the way I look at the world; it has taught me to look beyond myself and capture the world outside.” This is by far my favorite quote from the book “It’s What I Do” by Lynsey Addario. It immediately stood out to me because this is the way I strive to view photography. To see the beauty in everything, and not just the surface level. This is what Lynsey Addario does throughout the entire book. She has written a story of how the relentless pursuit of truth, in virtually every major theater of war in the 21st century has shaped her life. Each and every one of Addario’s photographs are captivating in their own way. I would say the main thing that separates Addario’s photos from other photographers are the stories they tell. She has a gift of seeing people and capturing them in her photos. A good example of this is on page 192 of Bibiane, a twenty-eight year old from South Kivu. The only physical indicator of her pain is her tears, but Addario makes it so much deeper. She knows when to focus and what to focus on. Another example is on page 318 of Somali children trying to feed biscuits to a woman suffering from dehydration and hunger. There is so much going on around the frame but she focused exactly on what she needed to in order to tell the story she was wanting.
I believe one hundred percent that what Lynsey Addario does is a special calling. I don’t think she is crazy at all. In fact, I think she is, for lack of a better term, a badass. I do not have the calling to go out into war zones, but I can relate to the feeling of needing to shoot. Needing to shoot anything and everything around you. Everybody has their thing, and Lynsey’s thing happens to be war photography. As I was reading this book throughout the term I was focusing more on the inspiration from it rather than what I could take from it to improve my own photography skills. The reason for this being our environments and circumstances are so substantially different, that it was hard to relate on that level. I can say however, after reading the book I feel very inspired to travel and see the world. Not particularly in the middle of a warzone, but to experience life outside of my bubble. Outside of my normal. I want to experience what life is like first hand for someone who doesn't have the luxuries we have here in America.
My favorite photo from the book is found on page 320. I have added it to this post. The photo shows the arm of a Somali doctor checking for a heartbeat of a malnourished one and a half year-old, Abbas Nishe. The child is so small and so innocent. A victim of their birthplace. I love the color and simplicity of the photograph, yet it holds so much emotion. Another favorite is on page 50 of Indian men bathing on the streets of Calcutta at dawn in 2000. It has three main subjects who are all at a different stage of bathing. I also like the clarity of the steam coming from the water, and how you can see men waiting in the background but they don’t take away from the photo, they only add to it.
It is difficult to go back and find where all of my favorite quotes are from the book (there’s a lot) but one that really stood out to me was, “I choose to live in peace and witness war—to experience the worst in people but to remember the beauty.” This is such a beautiful saying. This is the quote that solidifies the fact that this is what Addario was meant to do. This is what her life is about. I also loved the part where she was talking with her grandmother about love. I am a total romantic.
I would one hundred percent recommend this book to others. Especially if you are interested in love, war, or photography. Any kind of photography. You feel as if you are on this incredible journey right beside Lynsey Addario. Each page felt more and more captivating.
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